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Mozzarella Stuffed Turkey Meatballs

Another one of my “go-to” meals are stuffed meatballs – spicy Italian sausage meatballs, sweet Italian sausage meatballs or chicken meatballs topped with an easy pesto-tomato sauce. Several years ago, I was introduced to this easy-to-make sauce while watching a cooking show on the Food Network and it’s still a staple in many of my dishes today. Last night I didn’t have sausage in the refrigerator however I had ground turkey, fresh herbs, cheese and bread crumbs – voilà!

1 pound ground turkey

1/2 cup bread crumbs

1/4 cup shredded Parmesan

1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped

2 tablespoons fresh oregano, chopped

1 garlic clove, minced

2 teaspoons fresh basil, chopped

1/2 teaspoon cayenne

Olive oil

Extra parsley for garnish

1 tub bite size fresh Mozzarella balls

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Combine all ingredients, except the oil and Mozzarella balls, in a bowl. To form each ball, take a handful of the mixture and wrap it around a piece of mozzarella. Drizzle olive oil over the meatballs and bake for 15 – 20 minutes or until meatballs are cooked through and are evenly browned. Top meatballs with homemade pesto-tomato sauce and garnish with extra parsley.

Pesto-Tomato Sauce

1 tub good quality fresh pesto (or homemade pesto)

1 can quartered or halves tomatoes

Salt & pepper, to taste

Add the tomatoes to a saucepan over medium heat and mash with a potato masher. Add salt and pepper to taste and simmer for about 8 – 10 minutes. Turn off heat and stir in a 1/2 cup of pesto. Serve over meatballs with your favorite red wine. Some excellent wine choices would be a Super Tuscan, Sangiovese, Rioja or even a Merlot.